Lufthansa Cancels Flights as Pilots Strike Over Pay

Hundreds of Lufthansa flights were cancelled on Monday as pilots began a two-day strike over pay and pensions, marking another major disruption for the German aviation giant this year.

The airline confirmed that half of all long-haul flights and two-thirds of short-haul services were grounded on the first day of industrial action. Pilots at Lufthansa CityLine and Eurowings subsidiaries are also participating in the walkout.

The pilots’ union, Vereinigung Cockpit, was not immediately able to provide its own figures on cancellations. Lufthansa had previously dismissed the union’s demands as “absurd and unfeasible,” but union president Andreas Pinheiro said the airline had shown “no tangible willingness to find a solution” during several rounds of negotiations. “Although we deliberately refrained from any strike action during the Easter holidays, no serious proposal was made,” he added.

The strike follows a cabin crew walkout last Friday, which forced the cancellation of around 90 per cent of flights at Lufthansa and CityLine, according to the UFO cabin crew union. The last pilots’ strike at Lufthansa occurred in mid-March.

The latest action underscores ongoing tensions between the airline and its workforce over wages and working conditions, with further disruption expected if negotiations remain deadlocked.